Campbell Laird
"Ink Jetting: Cul de Sacs and Collaborations"
December 13, 2012- January 5, 2013
Opening reception: Thursday, December 13, 7-9pm
Since 1993, Tasmanian born artist Campbell Laird has been experimenting with large format inkjet printers in ways not intended. By printing multiple passes of simple lines and shapes he creates intriguing new compositions alive with his distinctive textures and colors. He continues that experimentation in this new solo exhibit called "Ink Jetting: Cul de Sacs and Collaborations."
From his Venice, California studio, Laird challenges the notion that the now ubiquitous digital printer is used only for creating perfect copy prints. Laird's radical process purposely pushes the printer to its absolute limits, repeatedly forcing the print through to create startlingly beautiful, meditative pieces that are part accident, part intention.
Like other artists, such as Wade Guyton, currently showing at the Whitney Museum, who are experimenting with inkjet technology-enabled compositions, this show highlights pieces that take art into new directions by using cutting edge tools. But like traditional artists, Laird directly interacts with the physical printed piece, putting the unique signature of "the hand of the artist" into what would otherwise be a completely automated process.
Starting with improvised hand drawn vector shapes, the artist works with the printer as his collaborator yet is guided by his innate intuition to make deliberate decisions as each new pass develops and unfolds itself on the canvas. Using techniques such as interrupting, re-rolling, skewing paper feeds, reprinting & literally 'pulling the plug' on the printer as his artistic tools, Laird learns from each new piece and is constantly changing and morphing his interventions to meet the challenges set by the printer as it invents new demands for each piece. Acknowledging the gravitas of this process Wired Magazine writer Tim Maly said "this is inkjet printing as extreme sport," allowing him to skillfully create "images of stunning complexity."
LACDA will be showing a total of 12 pieces, including one tetraptych (spanning 176" by 60" tall), three triptychs and multiple singles and doubles, many of which have been created exclusively for this show.
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